Tlatoani is a Nahuatl term often translated as “speaker” or ruler. In Mexica and other Nahua political life, the tlatoani governed an altepetl, or city-state, and held political, military, and ritual authority.

For citizenship-style history, this word matters because it appears when discussing Indigenous government before and during the early colonial period. It helps learners understand that central Mexico had its own political offices before Spanish rule.